New Yorkers panic at seeing Obama's plane

CNN:

A White House official apologized Monday after a low-flying Boeing 747 spotted above the Manhattan skyline frightened workers and residents into evacuating buildings.

The aircraft was a White House plane taking part in a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot, the Federal Aviation Administration said.

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision," said Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office. "While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption."

Witnesses reported seeing the plane circle over the Upper New York Bay near the Statue of Liberty before flying up the Hudson River. It was accompanied by two F-16s. Video Watch the plane fly over Manhattan »

"I was here on 9/11," said iReporter Tom Kruk, who spotted the plane as he was getting coffee Monday morning and snapped a photo. Kruk called the sight of the aircraft low in the sky "unsettling."

The incident outraged many New Yorkers, including Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"First thing is, I'm annoyed -- furious is a better word -- that I wasn't told," he said, calling the aviation administration's decision to withhold details about the flight "ridiculous" and "poor judgment."

"Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo op right around the site of the World Trade Center defies the imagination," he said. "Had we known, I would have asked them not to." Video Watch the White House respond to questions about the scare »

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They really should have selected Washington, Texas. Although we don't have any buildings taller than two stories, we can usually handle the stress of seeing aircraft. Mayor Bloomberg needs to get a grip as does Obama. who was reportedly "furious" about the flights. I guess he is afraid his real arrival will panic more people in the future.

Comments

  1. this is a ridiculous statement. #1-it was not the stress of seeing an airplane-you twit! you should be ashamed of yourself. you have no idea how frightening it was to see the plane fly right outside your office bldg. It was uncalled for and a ridiculous stunt. Yes-its too bad that people in NYC have to be burdened with shadow of 9/11.But perhaps next time the government will think twice before parading a 747 with fighter jets tailing it around lower manhattan. We have an daily reminder of what terrorism looks like. We don't need added complications. I hope you never have to experience that kind of terror.

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  2. If the people of New York scare so easy, then the terrorists probably did win. While I agree the White House Military personel probably could have let the proper authorities know what was about to happen, at the same time, I'm sure there were security-related reasons for them not to. In either case, the people of New York need to take a deep breath and realise that not everything that may seem strange is a terrorist attack. Living in fear is what the terrorists want.

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